On September 9th, the LSA Multipurpose room was abuzz with excitement, with over 150 people in attendance for DSI’s Welcome Back Ice Cream Social. The line for ice cream began to wrap around the room the minute the event started, as U-M students, staff, and faculty created their personal sundaes.
Talking with fellow students, Mario Gaming Night and Pugs, Planning, and Pie were among the most anticipated events that the DSI is hosting this semester. Students Chelsea Arenas and Subah Iqbal couldn’t believe that there would be real pugs at a U-M event. After one glance at the poster, they immediately added the event to their calendars.
The DSI also hit the ground running with its incredible course selection this semester. Freshman Celina Kim is taking DIGITAL 202, “Digital Culture,” with Professor Toni Bushner to improve her media literacy. After just a couple of lectures about how data is shared, Celina said that DIGITAL 202 has already opened her eyes to data-sharing outcomes that she didn’t think were possible, both the good and the bad.
The cherry on top of the Ice Cream Social was the announcement of the Nakamura Exceptional Teaching (NET) Award winners. The first award was given to Professor Sheila Murphy for the content in her course, “History of the Internet,” and her emphasis on how economics, politics, and power across time have shaped technologies into what they are today. The second award was given to Professor Apryl Williams for the integration of students’ personal experiences into rigorous scholarly work in her course, “Gendered and Racialized Bodies and Technologies.”
Some ice cream fanatics in attendance had never heard of the DSI before, but they were eager to join in on the fun and learn how to be more responsible, informed internet users. When it comes to the digital world, which is constantly updating, there’s always something new to learn.
Be sure to check out all of DSI’s events coming up this semester!
